Disclaimer: The Quintessential Quintuplets (Goutoubun no Hanayome) and all its characters are the intellectual property of Mr. Negi Haruba. All rights reserved.
Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. September 8th, 2017. Asahiyama High School.
Friday classes were pretty uneventful for the gang. Poor Inejiro indeed woke up with a pretty decent headache thanks to last night's shenanigans, so he wasn't feeling that good throughout the day. He slept through a lot of the morning classes, which Itsuki saw and wasn't all that happy about. He did remember to pack a couple of books on the Sengoku Jidai that he had lying around in his apartment for Fuutarou, so he could increase his knowledge on the subject in order to win Miku's respect. Or attempt to, anyways.
During lunch break, Inejiro had a quick lunch by himself and went back to napping, while Fuutarou focused on studying the materials his 'co-tutor' had provided. By the late afternoon, close to the end of the final classes of the day, Inejiro seemed to be feeling a bit better, probably helped by all his sleeping. So, while earlier in the day he had decided not to head to the gym after class, he's now feeling well enough to at least do some light exercise.
"Inejiro-kun, are you feeling better?", asked Itsuki, preparing to leave after the bell rang.
"Yeah. Good as new", he responded while stretching. "I'm gonna head to the gym after all".
Itsuki frowned.
"Inejiro-kun, if you're too tired for class you should be tired for gym as well".
"Nah. I'm doing better, I told you. Thanks for worrying though, I appreciate it". Inejiro winked at his friend after telling her that. She's somewhat embarrassed by it.
"Who are you winking at? Idiot. Are you still drunk?"
"Don't think so, no", he said as he laughed at her reaction.
"Well, I'll be going, Inejiro-kun. Pay as much attention to your studies as you do to exercise, please".
"Hey, I'm tutoring you. Know your place, respect your superiors".
Itsuki stuck her tongue out at Inejiro, before waving at him and leaving. Following that, Inejiro went towards Fuutarou's desk, who seemed to be completely entranced by his reading.
"And? Found anything about snot?"
"Not yet, no…I'll go through all of the books you gave me, see if I can find anything. If not, I'll head to the library on Monday".
"Yeah, sounds good. Well I'm out, Uesugi, good luck with that".
"Yeah, bye", said Fuutarou before turning his gaze back towards his book. Inejiro wondered if he was gonna stay in the classroom reading when he could just head somewhere else, but whatever. It's his problem.
Inejiro headed towards the changing room and took off his uniform, changing it for a white tank top, red Nagoya Grampus shorts (that's the local professional soccer team), and some sneakers. He continued his way towards the gym, which is on the lower level, with the track and soccer field right outside, and right next door to the basketball court. Asahiyama's sports facilities are top notch, it's not unlike those American schools where they spend an inordinate amount of money on collegiate sports. It's one of the things Inejiro enjoys the most about the school. He no longer has to waste money on gyms, he can just use the school's facilities, which is great for his finances.
While he is feeling better, he's not 'good as new', like he told Itsuki. He intends to warm up a bit on the treadmill, and see where he goes from there. So he just put on his headphones and got set up in the machine. He did some light running for about 20 minutes before he was interrupted. He saw a tall brunette come into his view, clearly trying to talk to him, though he couldn't hear. So, he took off his headphones and started paying attention.
"Nakamura-san, sorry for interrupting. Can I talk to you for a minute?", she said.
"Ah, Hongo-san, sure, it's fine".
Hongo is the captain of the female basketball team. She is really tall for a girl her age, not that much shorter than Inejiro himself. Her tall, lean figure had her earn a reputation as "the most beautiful girl in all of Asahiyama". She's wearing the Asahiyama basketball uniform, which consists of a blue tank top with a yellow inscription spread throughout the chest which reads "Asahi", with shorts of the same color. She comes here to train often, when she's not in basketball practice, so she's acquainted with Inejiro, though they haven't talked much until now.
"I have a proposition for you. Do you have five minutes or so? It won't take long".
"Hongo-san, I said it's fine. I won't linger here for long anyways, I'm not feeling that good after all".
"'After all'?"
"Never mind. What do you wanna talk to me about?"
"Let's head outside". Inejiro nodded, and followed Hongo outside, by the side of the track field.
"Nakamura-san, I am aware that you used to play for your school's basketball team when you were younger, and you were…quite good at it".
"Eh, can't join the team anyways. I don't imagine the male team is under your purview anyways".
"Yeah, I know…they'd love to have you, but having a 20 year old on the team would just be unfair…a pretty strong one at that", she said as she stared at his arms and chest. "Ehem. A-anyways. Where was I?"
"Something about a proposition?"
"Yeah. You're friends with the Nakanos, right?"
Inejiro can tell where this is going from a mile away.
"Yeah, I am. What does this have to do with me being good at basketball?"
"Well…you know the game. I would trust your opinion on a players' skill more than I would most of anyone else in this school".
"Okay. What do you need, then?"
"Yotsuba Nakano. She kicked ass in Kurobara. At least that's the word on the street, I've never seen her play myself. Is she as good as they say?"
"You seem remarkably well-informed, Hongo-san".
"I could hardly call myself team captain if I didn't keep my eyes open for potential talented players".
"Heh, yeah. Yeah she's probably even better than they say. I attended most of her games, for years. Basketball, soccer, you name it. Helped her train as well. She could probably run circles around me these days, to be honest", said Inejiro with a clear look of pride showing in his face.
"So it's true. Nakamura-san, do you th-?"
"I know what you're gonna ask, Hongo-san. I am sorry but I cannot try to talk her into joining the team. You can try talking to her yourself if you like, but I really can't get involved in that".
"Uesugi would kill me…and he'd be right", thought Inejiro. Yeah, Fuutarou would indeed kill him.
"Oh, that's a shame. I won't push the matter", said Hongo. She stood silently for a few seconds, and then spoke up again. "Did you say you helped train her?"
"That's a bit of an exaggeration. I helped her practice, mostly".
"...You're not related or anything are you?"
"Ah shit, here we go again", thought Inejiro, getting the usual interrogation.
"No. We've just known each other for about eight years", Inejiro chuckled thinking back to the day they met. "Actually, she was the most athletic among her sisters even back then. Made me look like a fool a couple of times in that playground".
Hongo blushed a little bit when listening to him speak. She noticed a shine in Inejiro's eyes while he talked about Yotsuba. She thought to herself that if they are not related…well they're more than 'just friends'.
"Y-you really care about her, don't you?"
"Yeah…look, Hongo-san. Nothing would make me happier than to see her back in that court. Having fun, doing what she loves to do. Hell if I had the chance to play I'd grab it with my hands and feet!"
"Oh, Nakamura-san, erm…give me a second, wait here", said Hongo as she ran back inside, leaving Inejiro looking at her go, quite a bit confused. Less than a minute later, she was back, though, holding a small piece of paper in her hand. And a deep blush.
"L-look…t-this is my number. I-if you manage to talk to Nakano-san or…a-anything else…g-g-give me a call?"
Inejiro noticed she was…REALLY nervous, so he placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down. Eh, probably not the right thing to do in this context, since she got even redder.
"Hongo-san, chill. It's fine. I know I said I couldn't but…", Inejiro grabbed the paper from her hand, "...if we ever talk about it, I'll let you know".
"Oh and one more thing Nakamura-san…", Inejiro thought she couldn't possibly blush any harder but apparently he was wrong, "...y-you're not dating Nakano-san, are you?"
Now it was his time to get a bit red.
"D-dating Yotsuba? Hardly".
"W-well…with the way you talked about her…never mind", Hongo sighed and visibly calmed down a little. "I'll talk to you later, Nakamura-san". She went back inside without even waiting for Inejiro to say his goodbye back to her.
"Wow, she got really awkward back there…well, she likes me, that's for sure. And she wants Yotsuba on the team. Do I…follow through? She is really beautiful but…I don't know. Talking like I'm not still a wreck over…her", Inejiro sighed in the middle of his internal monologue. "I have no clue. For now just, Yotsuba and basketball team. And then we'll see".
After that whole ordeal Inejiro decided to just call it a wrap for the day. He wasn't feeling that hung over anymore but still not good enough for an afternoon of exercise. So he just headed home to rest. He thought that maybe he could go for a run on Saturday or something.
After getting home he checked back with Fuutarou, to see how he was doing with his research. Apparently the books he'd lent him were good, but nothing related to the 'snot incident' quite yet. Just how obscure was that reference that Miku made?
The next day, Saturday, they made another attempt at holding a tutoring session at the Nakanos, but failed. Only Yotsuba showed up, as expected. The rest of the quints either stayed in their rooms or headed out of the apartment. Well, Yotsuba got a one-on-one tutoring session with Fuutarou, which she certainly can't complain about. Inejiro just let them do their thing. He mostly stayed with Itsuki in her room, helping her out, as it was priorly arranged.
Well, nothing much happened other than that, not much of an eventful day overall.
Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. September 10th, 2017. Nakamura residence.
Inejiro got a text late at night on Saturday from his father reminding him that they had arranged to have lunch at his grandparents' on Sunday. He was already aware, but it's never bad to be reminded of such arrangements, just in case. Being a free day, he woke up a bit late, so he just had a shower, got dressed and headed straight out to his grandparents'. He put on a 2002 Fifa World Cup Japan soccer jersey (he had one of those as a child, and saw one on offer online a few weeks ago and couldn't resist), some cargo shorts and slippers. And of course, his sunglasses.
Well, really, it's his father's place. After Maruo hooked him up with a good job, the economic fortunes of the family looked up quite a bit. While throughout most of Inejiro's childhood and adolescence the four of them lived in an apartment not much bigger than the one in which Inejiro now lives by himself, his father managed to move himself and his parents to a much more spacious house in a middle-class residential neighborhood, after Inejiro started working as well and they could afford to move. Now Inejiro has his own expenses to take care of, but he still contributes what he can to his family. Everyone says it's his grandparents' house because everyone knows who rules in that place, and it's the third generation, not the second.
In case you're wondering. Yes, Maruo Nakano pays very handsomely. He has a pretty good reputation among his workers as far as the local business community goes. And even then, Rena specifically asked him to take care of Inejiro and his family. That's why a 20 year old high school dropout can earn enough money to pay for his own basic living expenses, have some left over to give to his family, and have enough money left to have reasonable access to consumer goods. Even in a first-world country like Japan that's pretty unheard of.
Some twenty minutes later he arrived at his family's place. It's your typical Japanese middle-class home, a somewhat small (by American suburban standards at least) house with two-floors, white on the outside, in a neighborhood filled with similar structures and thin winding streets. Right outside the front door, Inejiro saw two men, one clearly older than the other, each smoking a cigarette and candidly discussing something or another. Yeah, that's his father and his grandfather.
His father's name is Sanzo Nakamura. He's a 38-year old man, about 1.80 meters tall, weighing about the same as Inejiro. They're big folk in this family. He has long light brown hair and a thick mustache. Currently wearing an unbuttoned light blue shirt with a white t-shirt below it, and blue jeans. He does look like he's straight out of the 70s, yes.
His grandfather is an 82-year old man, named Hideo Nakamura. About 1.65 meters tall, so not as tall as his child or grandchild, and quite thinner. Though he used to be taller in his younger days. He has medium length completely white hair which is always uncombed, and a short unkempt beard. Currently wearing a white tank top and blue Adidas sports pants. He even dresses similar to his grandson.
"Ehhh, look who finally decided to show up", yelled out Hideo, who was the first to see his grandson approaching.
"Hey there grandpa. Dad", Inejiro said as he patted each of his family member's backs. Uncommon greeting in Japan, sure. But they're special people.
"Hey Inejiro, how you doing?", said Sanzo.
"Well…seeing you two, I might just help myself", said Inejiro as he went to light his own cigarette.
"Smoking again?", asked his father.
"'Again'? When did I ever stop? And you two can't say a damn thing about that".
"Heh, he's right, son. Who cares anyways? I've been smoking since I was 12, and look at me, the very image of good health, haha!", said Hideo as he laughed out loud.
"Anyways, what were you two arguing about? The Sino-Soviet split? People's democratic dictatorship?", asked Inejiro sarcastically.
"God Inejiro don't get the old man going or I'll hit you over the head with a shovel", said his father.
"No, it's a waste to argue such things with this guy. Nah nah, we were talking about you", said Hideo.
"Eh? Me?"
"Yeah, you. When the hell were you gonna tell me that you're now tutor to the Nakanos?"
"Dad filled you in I see…I'm not the tutor. Another guy is the tutor. I'm helping him out".
The old man placed his hand on Inejiro's shoulder.
"So, you're helping those girls study. And you're also classmates now?"
"Yeah…that's correct".
Sanzo just watched his father and his son talk. Kinda relieved that the old man wasn't roped into a political discussion out of nowhere.
"And some other guy, he is actually leading the tutoring. Is that also correct?"
"What are you getting at, grandpa?"
"Who is that guy? What's his name?"
"Fuutarou Uesugi".
"Uesugi…hm…old surname. Uesugi Kenshin. But doesn't ring a bell in more recent times. How does Nakano know him?"
Inejiro thought it funny that his grandfather talked about Uesugi Kenshin like he had been alive back then.
"He knows his father from back in the day apparently".
"Another rich kid?"
"No he's not another rich kid. He's working class like us. Anyways, what is the point of all this?", asked Inejiro, who was growing somewhat irritated by his grandfather's questioning.
"And how is he getting along with the girls so far?"
"With most of them he's not getting along at all. Except for Yotsuba".
"Oh?", asked the old man, making a very curious face.
"'Oh' what?"
Hideo sighed.
"What is this Uesugi guy like?"
"He's the smartest guy in the grade, gets straight 100s in all of his tests. Quite antisocial. Decent enough once you get to know him. Has some weird views on some things, though".
"Such as?"
"You really have to know? He says love's a waste of time, blah blah blah, gotta focus on studying, that sort of thing. The perfect Confucian student".
"You should be happy about that".
At that point, Sanzo stepped in.
"Dad, give him a break".
"Bah. Yeah, don't listen to the crazy old man. Till the time comes, and then 'oh the old man had a point, didn't he? Always the same", Hideo grumbled as he headed inside.
"Sorry Inejiro you know how he is".
"Eh. He's grandpa, not gonna get pissed at him. How are you doing?"
"Well enough. Work's fine. Oh wait I never told you".
"Tell me what?"
"I joined a band".
Inejiro's cigarette literally fell from his hand as he stood in shock.
"Fucking hell dad, when were you gonna tell me that?"
"It slipped my mind I guess…you're so busy, I'm so busy".
"Wow man, congratulations! Damn I'm so happy".
"Yeah. It's pretty cool, we play covers from the 70s and 80s in some small bars down in Nagoya. The odd private party as well. Not nearly good enough to make a living, but I like it".
"Nah it's cool. You gotta start somewhere. Your guitar skills, they too rusty?"
Sanzo laughed.
"Well they were at first, yeah. But I'm getting the hang of it again. It's like being young again".
Sanzo played in a band when he was in high school with a few of his friends. It was pretty similar to what he's doing now, but them being teenagers it was a hell of a thrill. That was cut short once Inejiro's mother got pregnant, and Sanzo could never get back into playing guitar professionally. Until now, it seems.
Suddenly, he got worried that he would upset his son by reminding him of something he had to sacrifice to take care of him.
"Inejiro, I-"
"Old man, cut it. I know you sacrificed a lot to take care of me, and you deserve to be happy. Now stop whining and let's go inside".
"Heh, bet you 1000 yen your grandparents are already bickering".
Inejiro laughed.
"Nah, I'm not gonna give my hard-earned money away that easily".
With that, they both headed inside the house, taking off their shoes (slippers in Inejiro's case) in the entrance, and headed towards the living room. The living room is pretty austere, it has a couch, a TV, and a table for dining. And of course all the mementos that Hideo got from his travels abroad when he was younger. They have their own dedicated bookshelf, apart from the one used for books. There's also a few paintings here and there, in the socialist realist style that Hideo likes. The woman of the house shows her influence with all of the plants and flowers spread around the house.
Speaking of her, her son and grandson could, indeed, hear her bickering with her husband from the kitchen.
"Hideo, I told you to do the dishes yesterday, I told you!"
"Oh gimme a break. I was busy".
"Busy doing what?"
"There was an interesting documentary on, I couldn't just miss it!"
"Oh shut up, you just watch that stuff to get pissed. That's your idea of being busy?"
"Well someone that actually KNOWS anything has to watch them, and make others aware that they're full of shit!"
"The NHK is not gonna change their message just because you don't like it!"
"Well one day they'll stop serving the oligarchy honey, and I hope I'm still alive to see it".
The second and first generation of the family just stood watching their elders bicker over the usual things.
"Grandma's right grandpa, you religiously watching NHK documentaries does not make a workers' revolution any more likely, so you should just chill".
His grandmother smiled, satisfied.
"Thank you, dear. The boy's 20 and he's smarter than both of you combined!"
Sanzo felt unjustly attacked.
"Me? What did I do?"
"Yeah, he's smart alright. 'Cause I taught him. Hope you'll apply it to your studies one day Inejiro".
"Oh right, while we're on it. How are you doing in school honey?", asked Inejiro's grandmother.
Time to introduce her. The woman is named Hikari Nakamura. She is 63 years old (yes, much, much younger than her husband). If you do the math, when Sanzo was born, Hideo was 44 and Hikari was 25, and they met four years before that. So, Hideo was older when Sanzo was born, than Sanzo is now, with a 20-year old son. Each generation's experience couldn't have been more different.
Back to Hikari. She is slightly shorter than her husband, with a very lean figure. She has fair-white skin and very long brown hair (mixed up with a few lonely gray hairs) tied up in a ponytail. She is currently wearing a red apron, with a white t-shirt and blue sports pants below it. She is the one that Inejiro got his athletic aptitudes from, she also used to be engaged in athletic activities when she was young and still regularly exercises to this day, which is how she keeps a good figure at her age.
"Hi grandma!"
"Oh Inejiro, my manners! I swear your grandfather is gonna drive me insane".
Hideo scoffed at her comment.
"So, tell me", she insisted to her grandson.
"Doing alright I guess. Haven't gotten any…particularly bad grades yet. I think I can do well enough to pass."
"Oh good for you. Come, help me set the table, not gonna wait for these two to do anything. You can tell me about it while we do so".
Sanzo felt, once again, unfairly attacked. Not uncommon for his mother to throw a jab at him when she's angry at her husband. Who, by the way, didn't even react. Inejiro followed his grandmother to the kitchen and witnessed what she was angry about. There were a bunch of dirty dishes, probably not even just from last night.
"Want me to take care of these dishes?"
"I would appreciate it yes…spent all morning cooking for you all and this lecher can't even…bah, no matter. How are your friends doing? I heard you're helping tutor them now?"
Inejiro started picking up dishes and washing them.
"Yeah. Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell grandpa. Itsuki says hi".
"Oh Itsuki. Feeding that girl cost me a fortune every time they all visited haha. God…I haven't seen any of those girls in years".
"Five years, yeah".
"All their teenage years too…I probably wouldn't even recognize them now".
"They…have changed, yeah. But they're still themselves. Different surname, that's all".
"How can it be all? I'm a woman too, I was their age once, if you can believe it. They're almost at the end of their path from being little girls, to being women. And I say 'almost' lightly".
"Well, yes, that's not untrue".
The woman laughed.
"'Not untrue'. Inejiro…no, it's fine. They're still your younger friends to you, I understand".
"Thank you. Someone gets it".
"But".
"But what?"
"You don't get to decide by yourself the terms of a relationship, Inejiro. Five relationships. It's a two-way street".
Inejiro sighed.
"You too? Let me ask you as well: what are you getting at?"
"Are you, to them, still the older boy who plays with them and defends them from bullies? To some of them? To none of them?"
"Well of course I'm not, hell I'm even their classmate now".
It is Hikari's time to sigh now.
"Inejiro…don't take it so literally. You're just like your grandfather, I swear. Okay, let me be quite literal. Boys. Do any of them have someone they like?"
Inejiro was reminded straight away of Yotsuba and her very obvious crush on Fuutarou.
"Yeah".
"Oh, you sound quite confident. You don't have to tell me who she is, doesn't matter. Did she tell you herself?"
"No, but I noticed it quite easily".
"You noticed it. Alright. Not as bad as I thought. Pay more attention to that sort of thing. Emotions at their age, and YOUR age, but theirs especially, are like a minefield. Go stepping blindly and you're gonna hurt one of them, or all of them. And yourself".
"Oh never stop speaking in riddles grandma, that's why we love you".
"Yeah, jest all you like. But you know very well what I'm talking about. Look, Inejiro, I know you never want to talk about it, and I'm not gonna ask. But I've got my ideas on why that girl broke up with you and why you're still bothered by it, and I'm dead sure I'm not the only one".
Inejiro started looking quite upset while his grandmother talked.
"I don't want to make you feel bad but someone has to tell you these things. And I don't trust your father or your grandfather to do a good job at it. Sorry if I'm the bad guy. I'm not even gonna tell you anything else, you're smart, you know what I'm talking about".
At that point, Inejiro finished washing the last of the dishes.
"Come now, let's serve lunch and have a nice family meal, eh?", Hikari said as she hugged her grandson. If it was anyone else Inejiro would have stormed out already, possibly with a barrage of colorful insults as soundtrack. But it's his grandmother, it's impossible to stay pissed at her for more than one and a half seconds.
"Sure grandma, sure. Let's get on with it. What did you make?"
"Hehe, look", the woman said as she opened the oven and pulled out a roasting pan filled with pieces of steak and potatoes.
"Damn, beef? Are we doing that well?"
"It's a special occasion. Family lunch. Doesn't happen that often anymore", Hikari said, pouting.
Inejiro scratched the back of his head.
"Sorry grandma, you know I'm busy".
She just smiled back at him.
"I know, I know, I'm messing with you. Let's get this stuff ready".
The two of them served the food on four recently washed dishes, and brought them towards the living room, where Hideo and Sanzo were, of course, having some sort of discussion.
"I swear, they're a bunch of morons. A documentary on World War I that doesn't even touch on Lenin's theory of imperialism to explain the causes of the conflict! How can you even talk about the Great War without mentioning Lenin? Bunch of crap, they think the people, we're all stupid!"
"Dad, but you keep watching that crap! Why?"
"Someone has to!"
"Half the country does, you just get a kick out of pissing yourself off! Admit it!"
Hideo noticed his wife and grandson were approaching, with lunch in their hands.
"What the hell took you two so long?", said the old man.
His wife looked enraged.
"You son of…I shouldn't even let you eat! Your grandson had to wash all of the dishes that YOU should have YESTERDAY but you didn't because you just HAD to see the NHK NOT TALK ABOUT BLOODY LENIN".
"Fine, fine, fine! I'm sorry about that. Let's have lunch in peace now, please…"
"Hmph. Fine. But you're doing the dishes today and I swear I'll stand behind you to make sure you're doing it".
"Eh, whatever", Hideo said as he went to seat by the table.
"Oh wait I should get something to drink. Inejiro, are you fine with some coke?", said Sanzo.
"Give him a beer, he's twenty, he can drink", said Hideo.
"...I'll get you a beer Inejiro. And me too", said Sanzo as he headed to the kitchen. "But you're drinking coke old man!", he yelled at his father from the kitchen.
The old man laughed.
"Hehe, I'll just get some of the good stuff later anyways, he can't stop me".
He means vodka. It's a wonder that man's body functions as well as it does at his age and with his level of consumption of alcohol and tobacco.
Anyways, lunch was served, everyone gave their thanks for the meal, and proceeded to eat. They all ate quite hastily, seems the gang was quite hungry. They spent an hour or two afterwards chatting along about a little bit of everything. Inejiro shared how he was doing in school, reminded everyone that Itsuki told him to say hi. They talked sports as well of course, the Nagoya Grampus being a regular matter of discussion among the family. How good their chances for promotion to the top flight are, good players, bad players, your regular soccer fan conversation. Hideo continued to moan about the NHK, of course several political issues of the day. Inejiro and Hideo usually tend to monopolize the speaking slots in these family meals quite a bit. Inejiro because they all wanna hear from him, since he's the only one that doesn't live in the house, and they don't see him that often anymore. And Hideo just…because that's the way he is.
The day dragged on, and eventually it was time for Inejiro to leave. Before he left, his grandmother repeated to Inejiro how much she missed him bringing his friends home, and told him to invite the quintuplets to come over some time. Hideo and Sanzo agreed as well, none of them had seen any of the girls since Rena died and they were taken in by Maruo. Inejiro said he'd do what he could, but that it's not all that likely that he'd be able to get the five of them together to come visit his family.
Afterwards, Hikari and Hideo said a warm goodbye to their grandson, and she dragged her husband towards the kitchen so he would actually take care of his assigned chores, which seems to be the only way to get him to take care of them these days. He had always been quite careless when it came to housework, but it seems some things do indeed get worse with old age.
It being a lovely afternoon, Sanzo decided that he would walk with his son halfway to his apartment or something. He wanted an opportunity to talk to him alone as well, far from the prying eyes and ears of his parents. So that's what they did. For the first couple of blocks they were actually silent…the matter which Sanzo wanted to discuss with his son is quite hard for him to talk about, so it took him a while.
"Hey, Inejiro…", asked Sanzo, breaking the ice.
"Heh, you managed to finally speak dad. What is it?"
"H-have…you heard from your mother at all?"
Inejiro sighed.
"Yeah, it must have been…more than a week ago by now, that we talked".
"How is she?"
"Doing alright, I figure…", Inejiro started chuckling. "You won't believe this".
"What?"
"She's living in Asahiyama. Asahiyama, up in Hokkaido! Like my new school. What are the odds?"
"She's all the way up there? What's she even doing?"
"She's working as a bartender, that's what she told me. I hope that's what she's actually doing".
"Yeah…did she seem well to you?"
"Well there's only so much you can tell from the phone. But she seemed alright…she told me she wanted to see me soon".
"Will you?"
"Of course I will. As soon as both of us can…you know, dad? You should try talking to her".
Sanzo stopped on his tracks.
"No fucking way".
"Why? You always ask about her, you clearly care".
"Of course I care, she's the mother of my child! But I haven't seen her in 18 years and you very well know why".
"How can I know why? I was two years old! I don't even have the slightest picture in my mind of her from when I was little".
"And that's why I don't wanna fucking see her! Is it that hard to understand?"
"Look dad let's just drop it. Forget I said anything".
"I very well should, yeah". After that brief stop, they continued walking.
"Changing subject. Inejiro. Are you really okay with the new job Nakano gave you?"
"Could be worse, can't complain".
"I've never seen you interested in academics. It's really weird to see you as a tutor".
"I'm co-tutor to the quints, dad, it's not just any tutoring job".
"But can you do a decent job at it? I know they're your friends, but friendship is not gonna make them pass".
"It won't, but it does help. Besides, the academic aspect is well taken care of by Uesugi".
"Uesugi? Oh, that's the main tutor".
"Yeah. He's an insanely good student, and he's a very hard worker. I trust him to do that part of the job well-enough. For the social aspect, yeah, I'm sorely needed".
"Hm. Well, if you say so".
"Actually, dad…do you know an Isanari Uesugi? He's the tutor, Fuutarou's, father. Maybe you might have crossed paths with him at some point?"
"Isanari…what does he do for a living?"
"I don't actually know…I didn't ask when I was at his place".
"Well, right off the top of my head…no. If you could narrow it down, maybe I could remember, but not like this. Why did you ask?"
"Well…Uesugi got this job because his dad knows Maruo, ok? And, I just can TELL, that Yotsuba knows Uesugi…erm, Fuutarou, the tutor, from somewhere. I feel like…there's a piece of the puzzle I'm missing, and it's right in front of me".
"Just ask Yotsuba. If she's still like when she was little, she can't hold a secret for long".
"Yeah dad but I don't wanna pry. If she doesn't wanna tell…oh wait a second, a block from here there's a cool little playground that I like to stop at on my way home from your place. It has a really nice view. Let's stop there a bit".
"Oh, okay".
The playground Inejiro made reference to has little more than an old swing-set and some rusty monkeybars, and that's it. It's pretty much abandoned, he hasn't seen children playing in it for quite a long time. But it's sitting on the side of a hill, and it overlooks all of his family's neighborhood. Not the most glamorous view, but it's quite cool in the night-time, you can see the city lights from afar at least. Quite calm, too.
But this time when they arrived, they noticed there was someone standing on top of a swing…a girl, by herself…a green ribbon on top of her head.
"That ribbon…Yotsuba?", thought Inejiro.
"-but I'll study all day with Fuutarou-kun!", he could hear her say from afar.
"She called him Fuutarou-kun! What?"
"Inejiro, you know that girl?", asked his father.
Hearing voices behind her, Yotsuba quickly got off the swing and turned around, noticing Inejiro and his father standing right there. She ran towards them immediately.
"Jiro's dad?", she shouted out, with her ribbon standing upright.
"Aren't you…Yotsuba? Yotsuba! Long time no see! Didn't notice it was you from back there".
"Heh heh, didn't you notice my ribbon?", she said as she pointed towards it.
"Well now that you mention it you did start wearing that thing a while back, yes…but it's been five years you're just…so big!"
They both noticed Inejiro has been absolutely silent since they ran into each other.
"Jiro? Are you okay?", asked Yotsuba.
"Yeah…yeah", he said, unconvincingly. Sanzo noticed there was something strange going on. He was just talking to Inejiro about Yotsuba knowing Fuutarou, the tutor. Yotsuba was just talking to herself about a 'Fuutarou-kun', which clearly shocked Inejiro. He figures it's better to leave them some space, there must be a lot of stuff that they need to talk about.
"Look kids, I'll leave you both to it. Time I head home anyways, those old coots are gonna kill each other if I leave them alone for too long, heh".
"Oh you're leaving already?", asked Yotsuba.
"Yeah, but look, we were just talking about this back home. You and the girls should come visit us sometime. We miss you, all of you. You're all welcome at our home".
"Yeah we will totally do that! I miss Jiro's grandpa and grandma too!"
Sanzo just started laughing.
"We have names you know? But as I said, I'll be going back home. I'll see you soon, I hope".
"Sure thing", said a smiling Yotsuba.
"Bye Inejiro!", his father yelled loudly.
"Oh, yeah dad, see you…talk to you later".
Sanzo smirked, shook his head and left.
"Jiro…really, are you alright?", Yotsuba asked, before the moment of realization came. "You…you heard me".
"Of course I heard you! 'Fuutarou-kun'?"
"Ehhhh I'm s-still not really sure what to call him, hehehe".
Inejiro covered his face in both his hands.
"You're making it really hard for me not to pry, you know?"
"Eh…", Yotsuba looked down to hide her blush.
"I told you before that you could talk to me about anything, just making sure you remember".
Yotsuba suddenly stood straight and pointed her finger straight at Inejiro.
"Like you're one to talk! Itsuki told me about the other night!"
"She did, didn't she?"
"Yes, she did! She's worried Jiro, I'm worried too!"
"Yeah, nice deflection".
Yotsuba just sighed in defeat.
"Never mind. Wanna hang out by the swings a little?"
"Me? The swings? If I stand on one of those things they'll break in half".
"Hehe, probably true. But wait, look, I wanna show you something".
Both of them headed towards the swingset. Yotsuba stood up on one of the swings, and started swinging heavily.
"Look at me!", she yelled at her friend. When she was swinging just hard enough, she jumped…quite far. In fact, perspective played a trick on Inejiro, and it seemed to him like she could fly off the cliff for a second.
"Wow, that's a new record! Did you see that Jiro?"
Inejiro was just smiling like a fool watching her play, happily, like a child.
"Heh, yeah, that was pretty good. It's like seeing the younger you, Yotsuba".
"What do you mean, Jiro?"
"Just enjoying yourself…playing, without a care in the world…"
"Well, I like coming here, yeah…hopping on the swing for a bit really helps me when I'm feeling down".
Inejiro lit up a cigarette and started smoking.
"You probably get an amazing view when you're swinging really hard there, right?"
"Yeah! You can see the whole neighborhood. I get it's not anything too amazing…but I like seeing all of the houses down there with the lights on. Feeling each one has a family inside it…it's really heartwarming".
"And you say you're not smart. That's a very philosophical reflection right there".
"I-It is? I mean…".
"Yeah. Look. You associated a bunch of lights you're seeing from afar, which doesn't have any outright meaning other than aesthetic value at first glance, with a wider point about family, community. It requires a level of abstraction".
"I…have no idea what you mean by that".
"Never mind. But don't bring yourself down. Tell you what, I think that coming here, spending some quiet alone time, reflecting…it does help. I do it too, it helps set the mind straight".
"Yeah, that's true. So, um…don't tell anyone".
"I won't, Yotsuba. Just one thing. I know you like Uesugi. It's fine if you don't wanna talk about it, but don't hold yourself back around me, it's useless".
Yotsuba got completely red.
"Please, Jiro…a-again, don't tell anyone, please…I'm not ready, n-not like this…", she said as she started to get teary eyed.
Seeing that, Inejiro hugged her, and started softly patting her head.
"Yotsuba…calm down, it's fine. Your secret's safe".
She sobbed into her friend's shoulder for about a minute, and then she let go.
"Feeling better?", Inejiro said, smiling.
"Y-yeah, a little…bad Jiro, you made me cry!"
They both laughed.
"Hey now, nothing wrong with crying from time to time. Now, I got something that will bring your spirits up".
"Really?"
"So, I was talking to the female basketball team captain the other day".
Yotsuba's ribbon perked up and she started listening attentively.
"She's interested in having you on the team".
"Eh? Really? What did you tell her?"
"That we would talk about it".
"Well, I would love to join but…Uesugi-san…".
"Yeah, that's what I thought as well. Well, I just wanted to relay the information to you. You should be the one that decides".
"I don't know…if I start missing tutoring sessions, I might fail again. And a-also, it's my chance to spend t-time with…U-Uesugi-san".
"Heh. Sure. As I said, your call to make. She gave me her number to tell her if you d-".
"SHE GAVE YOU HER NUMBER? Jiiiiiiiiroooooooooooo what aren't you telling me?"
"Eh…she may want me to ask her out or something".
"'May'?"
"She…was very awkward and blushing a lot so…"
"Oh she totally likes you! You should ask her out, Hongo-san is really cute!"
"Well, Yotsuba, I don't know. As much as you don't know if you wanna join the basketball team".
"What? You like someone else?"
"Tutoring, Yotsuba! Tutoring. I'm gonna be busy with you lot".
"You're the one who told Uesugi-san that you could date, study, work, all at the same time".
"W-well…ah dammit. My own words cursed me".
"Come on! I told you about Uesugi-san, I'm not gonna stop bothering you until you tell me what is going on!".
"'Told me' is not entirely accurate, but I'll play ball. I just don't really feel like dating at all".
"Why? Don't keep your heart closed like that. I understand that she broke your heart, but…"
"It's not…that she broke my heart. Well, yeah, but…more specifically. She said some things. That have been hanging over me like a dark cloud ever since. Until I figure some things out…I can't really".
"What things?"
"I really don't wanna say that!"
"Well, Jiro, you told me something at least".
"Yeah, I don't feel that uncomfortable talking to you. You seem to 'get it' more than the rest. Now I know why…".
"Eheh…I'm not sure I 'get it' at all…Jiro, it's getting late already, I'm gonna go home. We have school tomorrow".
"Yeah, I should do the same".
They both turned to leave. It is already dark out, and they both have to wake up early tomorrow to head to school. It is a beautiful starry night, and Inejiro thought, this lonely playground does give a certain romantic aura when spending time with someone at this time of day here.
"Yotsuba?"
"What?"
"You should bring Uesugi here someday".
"W-w-what? Why?"
"It's kinda romantic, isn't it? Just a thought. See ya".
Yotsuba just stood still, blushing profusely as she watched her friend depart. It's not enough that he could tell she likes Fuutarou, now he's recommending romantic spots for dates. It's the first time she's talked to anyone about her feelings for 'Fuutarou-kun', which she had kept under lock and key for years. He just doesn't know the full story quite yet.
She stood there for a good minute thinking about what it would be like to have a date with Fuutarou in that playground. Eventually, she came to her senses and started heading back towards the Pentagon. There's still a very long way to go before she can even start seriously thinking about going out on dates with Fuutarou, the very thought seems absolutely ridiculous at present. Well, maybe someday. One can dream. Getting her feelings ever-so-slightly off her chest did leave her feeling a bit better about the whole thing, that's for sure.
Inejiro reflected on the events of the day on his way home. It was good to see his family again, although what his grandmother said to him stuck in the back of his mind. What she said to him, coupled with his encounter with Yotsuba…there's a growing awareness in him. These girls are not little girls anymore. They're seventeen years old. They're almost adults. Will be in less than a year. They haven't been little girls for a long time. Their relationship can't be the same. Indeed, it has already changed, more than once, and in different ways depending on the individual sister.
What has he been missing all this time for having his brain stuck in the past? Yotsuba is in love with a guy, and from all the clues presently available to Inejiro, she has been for some unknown amount of time. How could he never have been the wiser? She did have a rather abrupt turnaround in her personality and relationship to her sisters a few years back, tried to study hard and failed; then got heavily into sports, which made her academics suffer. Distanced herself from her sisters. He was right there through all of that, in fact, her getting into sports made the two of them get closer, unlike what happened between Yotsuba and the other quintuplets. But he NEVER, not once, heard of Fuutarou. Never. The possibility that one of the girls could have been in love with someone, just, never had crossed his mind.
What about Nino? Could there be some actual reason why she started getting so cold towards him? Now, this makes him think. When was it she changed her attitude? He can't really pinpoint the exact moment. Was it when Rena died? Was it when he started working for Maruo? Asking her is of course out of the question for now, but he'll have to pay more attention from now on. But for now, business for tomorrow entails heading to the library with Fuutarou and sourcing some books so he can gain Miku's respect.
Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. September 11th, 2017. Asahiyama High School.
As it was previously arranged, after class on Monday, Inejiro and Fuutarou headed down to the library in order to get some books on the Sengoku era. Fuutarou had done his research, and found a list of books that he was interested in getting. Mostly on military history, since it's Miku's main area of interest, but also on politics, biographies, things like that, that could also be useful.
"How many did you say you wanted?", asked Inejiro while on the way to the library with Fuutarou.
"Well…I found a total of 25 books that I would like".
"25?"
"Nakamura, I don't imagine they have them all. I will just take whatever they have from that list".
"You're really going all in on gaining Miku's trust, huh?"
"Yeah. That's what you said, isn't it?"
"No no, don't get me wrong, I am really happy you're taking this so seriously. Just…you know, don't spend the next six months learning trivia".
"Nakamura, this is how I can tell that you don't even know how to study. I can just look in the table of contents what specific issues I'm interested in reading about, I'm not gonna read whole 300-page books or longer for this".
"I know what a table of contents is, Uesugi. I just generally read for pleasure, so yeah, I read whole books. But not always. I'm not as much of a moron as you think I am".
Fuutarou sighed.
"Unbelievable that we're in the same grade. It would honestly be better if you were actually stupid".
They finally arrived at the library and headed inside. Finding a familiar ribbon-wearing girl in there.
"Speaking of which…", said Fuutarou.
"Hey, watch it, Uesugi", responded Inejiro, somewhat angrily. Especially now that he has a better idea of how she feels…these off-handed comments by Fuutarou are not even slightly funny to him. Speaking of Yotsuba, she also noticed them and headed towards them.
"Jiro, Uesugi-san! What brings you here?"
"Yotsuba…were you actually studying? I'm so proud, at least one of my students is trying", said Fuutarou.
"Heh heh…I was here because a teacher asked me to deliver some papers".
"Always helpful, the best Samaritan there has been since biblical times", said Inejiro. Yotsuba placed her hands on her hips and made a very proud pose, and her ribbon stood upright. Even though she has no idea what a Samaritan is, she could tell it was a compliment. Fuutarou had a disappointed look on his face, though.
"Eh, Nakamura, let's just get the books shall we?".
"Yeah. Let's split up to search for them, else we're gonna be here a while".
"Right, good idea".
"What are you searching for?", asked a curious Yotsuba.
"Books on the Sengoku Era, because Mi-", Fuutaoru was saying before Inejiro abruptly cut him off.
"BEEECAUSE we're planning Japanese history lessons and we need to brush up on our knowledge and stuff you know?"
"Hiding Miku's hobbies from Yotsuba whose feelings I'm hiding from, well, everyone. Bloody double-agent crap, I tell you", Inejiro thought to himself.
"E-erm, sure, that's…that's what we're doing", said a confused Fuutarou, who doesn't understand why Inejiro cut him off but decided to play along anyways.
"Oh I'll help you look for your books then! Show me the list Uesugi-san", said Yotsuba as she snatched the paper with the book listing from his hand. "WHOA, there's like, 100 books here!"
"They're 25, Yotsuba", said Fuutarou.
"B-but Uesugi-san, d-do you really wanna teach us all this?"
"I don't want any complaints, you'll be taught whatever is necessary for you to pass".
Yotsuba looked at Inejiro hoping he would 'defend' the quintuplets. Meaning, telling Fuutarou to make them read less.
"Sorry Yotsuba, he's the boss. And you won't have to read 30 books, this is just for us to prepare the classes, chill".
Inejiro says "us" but preparing the tutoring sessions is a job that falls almost completely to Fuutarou.
"Come on, let's get going, I want to head home to study all this", said Fuutarou.
"Look Uesugi-san, let's just do this…", Yotsuba broke the paper into three separate pieces, each with about a third of the books, and handed one to Inejiro, one to Fuutarou, and one she kept herself. "And there we go, let's do this everyone!", she yelled excitedly. She got told off, of course, by library staff.
It took each of them about 15 minutes to find most of the books they had in their respective lists, and to ascertain that those that they didn't find just weren't in the school library. In the end, they found six books each, making a total of 18. Still…a lot of books. Yotsuba and Inejiro were carrying their loads effortlessly, but Fuutarou…
"Hey Uesugi, need a hand there?", said Inejiro, chuckling.
"Arggh I-I'm fine", he pulled through and put the books down in front of the library clerk with a thump. Which she was pretty startled by.
"Poor Uesugi-san, you really should exercise more", said Yotsuba softly. She noticed Fuutarou was just standing there with some sort of devilish grin for some reason, so she shut up. She also laid down her books, as did Inejiro.
"Eh…are they all for him?", the library clerk asked, referring to Fuutarou.
"Yes, they are", responded Inejiro since Fuutarou was still looking like a psychopath and not saying a word.
Then, Inejiro remembered that he promised Miku he'd get a couple of books for her.
"Oh wait, right, I wanted to get a couple for myself. Be right back", said Inejiro as he looked for the books Miku asked for. They have all of them, so he brought them back to the clerk again.
"Okay…and these are for you? Oh right, Nakamura-san, I remember you. Let me write your name down here…right, there you go. Remember that you have to return a couple of other books tomorrow, it says so here in the computer", said the clerk.
"Oh right, right. I'll remember", he said as he put 'Miku's' books in his backpack.
"Guys, I still don't really understand why you need so many? Is there something specific you wanna know or…?", asked Yotsuba, who actually has a point on the amount of books they got. It's all fine and dandy to find a decent amount of material to prepare for a tutoring session, but that's an absolutely ludicrous amount.
"Grrrr. There's a specific event that I wanna know about that I don't remember…", said Fuutarou.
"Hm? What is it?"
"Something about a tea having snot in it. It's driving me crazy!"
"Why don't you just google it, Uesugi-san? Look, let me look it up for you", said Yotsuba as she pulled out her phone and opened the browser. "Lets see…'someone drinking tea with snot in medieval Japan'...oh look! This must be it!", she said as she showed the screen of her phone to Fuutarou.
"'It is said that Ishida Mitsunari once drank tea with Otani Yoshitsogu's snot in it', yeah that has to be it! Thank you Yotsuba!"
"Eh…eheh, you're welcome Uesugi-san…it was no effort though", said a blushing Yotsuba.
"Ah I'm such an idiot, why didn't I think about googling it?", said Inejiro.
"Well…let's bring her spirits up a little", he thought to himself. "What would we do without you Yotsuba? You really saved our asses".
"N-no really it was nothing! It's just searching for something online, really…so much fuss about it. Anyways I have to get going now, bye Jiro and Uesugi-san!", Yotsuba said as she literally sprinted out of the library.
"...Is she always this energetic?", asked Fuutarou.
"Eh, most of the time. Look, Uesugi, I am very happy that you're taking the tutoring seriously. But limit the amount of books here. Get like 8 at the very most. I'll help you carry them, of course, but any more than that is ridiculous and you'll kill your back for no reason".
"Ah…well, you are right. I can just…bring some home and come here to study the rest after class anyways".
"Eh…if you say so. Do as you please".
They both explained to the clerk that they would leave behind about half of the books, and take the rest with them, under Fuutarou's name. After that they both headed to Fuutarou's home, Inejiro graciously carrying the bulk of the books and Fuutarou only a couple. Which is fair, given the difference in strength between the both of them. Fuutarou wanted to carry them all by himself to his apartment, but Inejiro insisted on helping him getting the books up there. When they got inside, they found Raiha who had already gotten home from school herself.
"Big brother, hi! How was your day! Oh and Nakamura-san! What brings you here?"
"Hi Raiha-chan! I just came to help your brother carry some books".
"Heh, yeah, he's a bit of a wimp isn't he?", said the young girl, which made Fuutarou pretty embarrassed.
"I'm the muscle, he's the brains. That's the way it goes!", said Inejiro. "Where should I leave the books?"
"Just leave them there next to the table, thank you", said Fuutarou.
"Nakamura-san, you wanna stay for dinner tonight too?", asked Raiha.
"Raiha, I need to study…", said Fuutarou.
"Big brother, he's your friend! Have some manners"
"No Raiha-chan sorry, it's true what your brother's saying. He is really busy with tutoring".
"Ohhh it's about his job. Okay. But still…he should go out more, he's always cooped up in here".
"What would I do outside? I can just study in here".
"Well I'll leave you two. Thank you for the invitation Raiha-chan, I'll take you up on it some other time. And I still owe you a meal, remember!". said Inejiro.
"Yes, right! I remember!".
"Bye Uesugi".
"Yeah, bye Nakamura. Thanks for the help", said Fuutarou.
Raiha watched with astonishment that her big brother was actually being polite to Inejiro, instead of just shooing him off. She starts thinking that maybe with his and his student's influence (she still thinks he's only tutoring Itsuki, by the way), Fuutarou can become a little more laid back?
Inejiro took off and headed home for the rest of the afternoon. A lot has gone on in the last few days. Now, it remains to be seen if all of Fuutarou's efforts will be rewarded by Miku and she will actually open up to him a little, or if it will all be in vain after all. There's also the matter of whether Yotsuba will join the basketball team or not, and if she does, how could it affect the tutoring? But that's all a story for another day.
A/N: Hello there, everyone! I've been wanting to get to this part for a while, since it has a lot of original content not from the anime nor the manga, and I could finally introduce Inejiro's family. Most of it, anyways. Well, as always, follow/fav, leave a review, all that. I'll move on to responding to last week's review.
Gazara12: Well, as we could see in this chapter, there's a lot in Inejiro's background when it comes both to love and to his family life, that I have plans for down the line. It's good to see that there's some excitement for that, it can be a struggle to make readers care about your OCs. When it comes to the narration, yeah, I'll see if I can experiment with toning it down, but it's helpful to me when writing as well. If anyone has any opinion on that matter, please let me know, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Alright, see you all next week!